Today we are talking to one of the most successful and accomplished composers and lyricists in Broadway and Hollywood history all about his participation in next week's hotly anticipated charity event UPRISING OF LOVE, co-produced with Bruce Cohen, hosted by Jane Lynch and starring Sting and Patti LuPone, among others - the one and only Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz sheds lights on what inspired him to curate the evening, as well as previews some of the entertainment set to be on hand and what audiences can expect from the Dustin Lance Black-penned benefit to raise awareness of gay bullying and support equal rights for all. Additionally, Schwartz looks back at his many major musical landmarks and touches upon the current revival of PIPPIN as well as long-running Broadway hit WICKED and the currently in development film adaptation of it. Plus, Schwartz comments on the upcoming screen-to-stage adaptation of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, currently set to premiere in La Jolla later this year. Furthermore, Schwartz shares news on the development of several current projects he is working on at the moment, including the new stage musical based on the life of Emanuel Schikaneder and the animated big screen A.R. Rahman collaboration MUMBAI MUSICAL, with remarks on the recent stateside premieres of new musical MY FAIRY TALE and musical revue SNAPSHOTS, too. All of that, thoughts on Ariana Grande and Kanye West sampling 'Popular', GLEE covering 'Defying Gravity', reflections on some lesser-known compositions from his solo albums RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY, thoughts on a Broadway production of CHILDREN OF EDEN and much, much more! (more...)

Okay, so I cried at the end. Not death-of-Will tears, or the sobs elicited when Alicia broke up with Gardner way back in Season 3, and I felt like it was happening to me. No, these were poignant tears, the trickle down, uh-oh this is too moving kind of tears that THE GOOD WIFE has earned from its viewers, because after five years, Diane's goodbye felt like our goodbye, too. (more...)

'It's exciting!' Michele Barszcz can hardly contain her excitement. 'I have always loved reading, and now I'm actually publishing books that I like. It's a lot of hard work, but I love it.' So says the founder of the latest small publishing house to hit the markets, with unbound enthusiasm.
Once upon a time, such a fairy tale would have been impossible, as giant publishing conglomerates fortified their castles with alligator-filled moats and high walls that were virtually impenetrable. Back then, if Michele had been really lucky, she might have gotten a job plowing through 'slush piles' of unsolicited submissions for a few years to prove herself worthy of a higher position, but she would most likely have remained a cog in the publishing house bureaucracy forever. With the rise of computers, advancements in printing, and numerous companies offering direct marketing services, however, small entrepreneurs like Michele can turn their publishing dreams into reality.
It was just as difficult for authors, if not worse, in the old days. After possibly spending an eternity writing, editing, proofreading and polishing a cherished masterpiece, authors often languished for years trying to claw their way through the fortress barriers, often spending months to find an agent and even longer to convince a mega-house to begrudgingly deign to read their manuscript. Since first-time submissions from unknown authors are rarely accepted on the first try, the cycle of submission-rejection-submission tends to repeat itself over and over.
Acclaimed author John Grisham was one of those rejected repeatedly. Before Harry Potter became a worldwide sensation and a series of blockbuster movies, more than a dozen publishers rejected the book and its unknown author. At the time, they all said, 'J.K. Rowling? Who is that?' Now those publishers all know who she is, but only long after passing on the chance to cash in by publishing her works.
The marriage of technology and creativity has proven to be a heavenly union for small publishers and authors alike. Many authors have made fortunes self-publishing after others rejected their work, but some things remain constant. A book still must be good to sell, no matter who publishes it. And a golden opportunity doesn't guarantee a golden outcome. The old moat and drawbridge were there for a reason. Without them, there is nothing to keep the barbarian hoards from storming the castle, and the market is now filled with substandard, poorly written garbage published out of some yokel's basement, making it harder for a true masterpiece to rise above the refuse.
Michele sees it this way, 'Even with all the technology, it's still critical to find the right books to publish. Books that people will want to buy.' So what can readers expect from Munched Kitty? If the house's first two books are any indication, quite a variety. The first book scheduled for publication is "Judging Professional MMA," by Mixed Martial Arts judge, Glenn Trowbridge. The following act is a comedy horror love story by veteran Joseph Tatner called, "Floyd and Mikki: Zombie Hunters." Glenn has never written a book before, while Joseph has made his living as a writer for more than 20 years. Michele sees a solid market for both books, and that is what drives her decisions on what to publish.
Despite the obvious goal of making money, Michele isn't greedy about it. In fact, she is on a mission to keep books affordable. '$19.95 for a paperback is ridiculous, not matter how good it is,' she opines. 'With the cost of everything Going Up, people want to escape their troubles in a good book. My goal is to keep it affordable for them. If we can sell books at a lower price, we will make about the same money, but we'll reach more people and build brand loyalty. You can't put a price on that.'
Just who is the Munched Kitty in the logo? Munch is a happy survivor. She was abandoned and then rescued off the streets of Las Vegas. Her mangled left ear and missing half of a right fang weren't the only things munched when she showed up. The frail feline had a large patch of skin missing from the back of her neck. Fortunately, tender loving care by her adopted family brought her back to full health. 'I couldn't think of a catchy publishing name that wasn't taken. Then I decided to name the company after Munch. After all, she's living proof that you can succeed against all odds.'
No doubt Michele will succeed as well, one way or the other. Munched Kitty Publications (mkpubs.com) is a little publishing house with big ambitions and grand hopes. (more...)

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU opens tonight, September 28, 2014, at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street), after 32 previews. The production is directed by six-time Tony Award-nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Scott Ellis (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Twelve Angry Men, 1776) and will play a 19-week limited engagement. (more...)

Francis Patrelle, the artistic director/resident choreographer of Dances Patrelle says in a program note that prior to 1982 he had never seen any version of the Romeo and Juliet ballet. It certainly sounds strange to me. Where had he been all that time? It seems that everyone I knew in the dance world had seen some production of it. Even my brothers, who detest ballet, had seen the Fonteyn/Nureyev movie. Be that as it may, I won't hold it against him. (more...)

For five years, both the U.S. Federal CIO Council and the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) have been pushing government agencies to
move some types of IT systems to the cloud, particularly new systems,
stored data, and mobile solutions. The ongoing level of spending on
cloud solutions indicates that this effort is finally having a
significant long-term effect. Total cloud spending is Going Up and the
nature of cloud spending itself is changing. (more...)

For the men who live to hit it long, the culmination of a dream can be realized on Tuesday night, Nov. 4, when eight of the longest hitters in the world will showcase the raw power that each hopes will earn him the championship belt and the winner-take-all prize of $250,000 at the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, airing live on Golf Channel at 10 p.m. ET. (more...)

We've been through 18 Battles so far on Season Seven of THE VOICE, which means tonight we have just six performances left in this round of the competition. If last week is any indication as to how this will play out, we will see three performances, and the other three will relegated to highlight clips. (more...)

The IT4IT Forum has been established by enterprise customers, IT service
providers and tools vendors to help IT departments address the strategic
challenges brought about by the changing IT landscape. It will create
and drive the adoption of the IT4IT standard to provide a vendor-neutral
Reference Architecture that supports management and execution across the
IT value chain. The Reference Architecture will enable the provision of
data-driven insights that help IT organizations focus on business
outcomes while delivering solutions faster and with reduced cost and
risk. (more...)

CHICAGO, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian says, 'On most conventional comparative metrics, the Q3 earnings season is tracking closely what we had seen in the preceding reporting cycle.' (more...)

Guy Fieri celebrates the New Year with the premiere of Guy's Grocery Games: Family Style on Sunday, January 4th at 8pm, when families storm the grocery store aisles confronting new challenges and obstacles for the chance to take home up to $20,000. (more...)

You will not believe it! The last time we gave you a Music City Confidential (number seven), the London Olympics were winding up, LaToya Gardner and Kevin Mead were starring in Circle Players' Aida, Maggie Richardson and Cody Rutledge were headlining Xanadu at the Arts Center of Cannon County, and Music City was caught up in Nutty Professor fever! Today marks the return of Music City Confidential and we hope you'll be feeling particularly thankful for edition number 8. (more...)

I've seen it happen a million times, well probably not exactly a million because that's dramatic but you get my point. I'm talking about the moment when someone gets into a relationship and then they start valuing the relationship of their significant other over the opinions of their best friend. And who is officially guilty of doing just that? Andrew. And who doesn't like it in the least bit? Stu. Let's the games begin… (more...)

I don't know about you, but I feel really powerful right now. After 16 episodes, THE VOICE is finally trusting the American public to take control of the singing competition. There are no more Battles, no more Knockouts, no more Steals, there is just you, me, and the other 11 or so million people who watch the show on any given week! And it couldn't come at a better time, because last week the coaches really screwed the pooch with their final Saves. (more...)

“To be blunt, Sergei is not a nice guy,” says tenor Brandon Jovanovich, talking about his current role at the Metropolitan Opera in Dmitri Shostakovich's LADY MACBETH OF MTENSEK. “He's the kind of fellow who's jovial and friendly one minute…and then you hear he's robbed a store. He uses and abuses people--we all know someone like that, don't we?” he adds, laughing. (more...)

With one night down in THE VOICE's Live Playoffs (read my review of last night's show here), the teams are taking shape, but, as of yet, no one has blown the doors off the joint. Tonight, rookie coaches Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams will send their singers to the stage to perform for a live national audience for the first time. (more...)

Celeste Oliva gives a riveting, tour de force performance as The Pilot in George Brant's GROUNDED at the Nora Theatre Company, under the astute direction of Artistic Director Lee Mikeska Gardner. George Brant's play examines the life of one woman, prohibited from flying due to an unexpected pregnancy, and the impact that her reassignment to the unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) "chair force" has on her psyche and sense of self. (more...)

Based on the 1994 Albert Finney film, the musical A Man of No Importance played at New York's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center in 2002, then earned 2003's Outer Circle Critics Award for authors Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Terrance McNally (Book.) This past Sunday (for two performances), 54 Below staged a concert version of A Man of No Importance as part of their popular 54 Below Sings . . . series. (more...)

One of the most common questions I get asked is how I started doing stand up in the first place. That first leap is daunting for anyone so people always want to know how I started because, not only did I do it - I did it at 13 years old. (more...)

The new Broadway production of GIGI, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved Oscar and Tony Award-winning film and stage musical, will open on Broadway on Wednesday, April 8 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street). Previews will begin on Thursday, March 19. GIGI's team posted a picture today of the musical's marquee Going Up at the Neil Simon, and you can get a first look below! (more...)

SAN MATEO, CA(Marketwired - Dec 9, 2014) - C9 announced today that among Fortune 2000 companies based in the US, pipelines have grown year-over-year by 4.3 percent, setting the stage for moderate revenue expansion in 2015. This growth is driven by a 10 percent increase in the number of deals companies are pursuing and offset by a 3.5 percent decline in average deal size. The C9 Revenue Index also surfaces improvements in sales productivity with deals closing 8 percent faster than they were last year, while close rates have increased by 1.8 percent. (more...)

Ladies, gentleman and those who are yet to make up your mind -- strut your stuff down to the Orpheum Theatre and march those stilettos into Kinky Boots! This, mind-bending tour-de-force will open up your mind, open up your heart, and maybe open up your legs -- to dancing in your boots (don't think so dirty!) Playing now through Dec 28th at the Orpheum Theatre Kinky Boots is dazzling, joyous and fun. (more...)

Last year, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron brought The Sound of Music starring country star (and former American Idol winner) Carrie Underwood in the leading role of Maria live to millions of people across the country. With this live performance featuring Broadway vets like Christian Borle and Laura Benanti in supporting roles, America was exposed to a small taste of what happens eight times a week on Broadway. To some, The Sound of Music Live was their first big exposure to the magic and wonder of Broadway, perhaps leading young viewers to bigger and grander things. (more...)

SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Zillow predicts a big year for home buyers in 2015, with more millennials entering the market amid rising rents. Zillow's annual housing predictions also identify the five best housing markets for first-time homebuyers this coming year. (more...)

RPR Public Relations, Inc., a premier full-service PR firm serving startups and small-to-medium sized businesses worldwide, today announced that they have expanded their relationship with two existing clients and have been retained this month by Tenderbox LLC to launch their new product – YouBeam – in the U.S. and worldwide. The PR firm will oversee social media marketing services and global PR for the leading technology provider for the gem and jewelry industry – GemFind – in addition to their present PR activities in North America. vidFame also expanded their relationship with the PR firm for their free iPhone app – Your Last Will – that lets anyone create and send one last video message to loved ones after they die. The new iPhone app's initial launch in three major markets in the U.S. will now be expanded to a national PR campaign. (more...)

Judah & the Lion are premiering the song 'Mason-Dixon Line' from their upcoming album, 'Kids These Days,' which will be released on Sept. 9 on Good Time Records. Head to The Boot to read the full article and listen to 'Mason-Dixon Line'. (more...)